All eyes on Hamas

The Gaza war is at a pivot point and a tunnel-dwelling psychopath holds the key

Photo by Levi Meir Clancy via Unsplash

President Joe Biden’s decision to publicly present an end-of-war proposal – which he claimed, weirdly, was Israel’s own proposal – creates a pivot point that could potentially change the course of the Gaza war, which is already the longest Israel has fought since 1949.

If Hamas accepts the plan, Benjamin Netanyahu’s government seems set to collapse because the extremist parties on whose support it depends have warned that they will bolt. But it could also revive the prime minister’s sagging fortunes by ending a frustrating war and ushering in peace with Saudi Arabia. Elections would likely be brought forward, but Netanyahu might – miraculously given his epic failures – be competitive again.

There were missing pieces in Biden’s presentation last week, as he did not explicitly address who would rule Gaza going forward. But the default appears to be ending the war with Hamas degraded but still in power and with the hostages returned. It would be an excruciating comedown for an Israeli government that promised “total victory.”

So all eyes are on Hamas, as its leadership huddles in a massive network of tunnels surrounded by the remaining Israeli hostages as protective shields. There has been much discussion about whether Yahya Sinwar, the Hamas leader, is a psychopath; we are in danger of overthinking what is obvious.